As
modern Christians, we can easily disregard the Old Testament in terms
of being applicable to our daily life or having a role in our faith.
We can look at the Old Testament and determine that the stories
carried within are only relevant to a different time and place. That
it can carry no weight in our faith in Jesus Christ. There are ways
we can look at it, thanks to our culture, which can have us struggle
with our faith. It would appear on the surface that we are looking at
a different God than in the New Testament. A God that seems more
judgmental than the one we are accustomed to. We see a lot of trying
to keep up with laws and regulations that Israel fell short on. This
can cause me to feel intimidated in looking at the Old Testament and
reconciling it to my faith. Thus, we can run the risk of ignoring
this part of the bible or picking and choosing the parts we want to
follow.
For
me, the first obstacle I faced with the Old Testament is getting
caught up in all the rules and regulations. The question I faced is
why are there things mentioned in the Old Testament that we, as
modern Christians, do not follow. Are we disregarding God's commands
to feel comfortable or are there other reasons? We need to remember
that these were written specifically for the nation of Israel as
guidelines to live. This was part of the covenant that God had with
them. Things such as the dietary laws were meant to keep them
healthier in that particular time and climate. We are under a new
covenant, hence Old Testament and New Testament. The question
remains: what can we take away from the Old Testament that pertains
to our lives and culture?
Part
of our struggle comes from the culture we live in, a part of having a
Greek mindset rather than a Hebrew one. We come from a culture where
individualism is important, the supernatural is split from the
natural, and that God can be compartmentalized in easy and logical
categories. The Hebrew mindset stressed groups and family units as
more important, and that worth came from relationships rather than
what we accumulate. We can struggle with a God that is fully just,
fully love, fully merciful, and fully holy. We prefer God is part
holy, part love, part just to make up a 100% whole. I think we accept
it that God is fully all things, but our culture makes it harder for
us to rationalize it in our heads.
This
doesn't mean that the Old Testament is unimportant in our lives. Far
from it, there are many lessons we can glean for our daily walks.
Some of the narratives are meant explicitly to the nation of Israel,
but many more relate lessons which are important to us. Jesus says
the “scriptures testify to him”. At that time, the only
scriptures they would have had were what is our Old Testament. Jesus
would not mention this if the Old Testament wouldn't hold weight in
our lives. The overall narrative speaks to Jesus.
We
need the Old Testament because the narratives lay the groundwork as
for the need for Jesus to do what needed to be done. There are the
Ten Commandments that are given to us straight from God. The
importance of these are discussed in the New Testament as well and
thus are important for us to live by. The laws are given, not as a
set of standards to live by so as to get closer to God, but rather as
a standard of living as a response to what God had already done for
them. The guiding principle is to remind Israel of what God has done
and because of that, Israel's response to the world around them
needed to be such. God calls Israel his “chosen people”. Our
interpretation can perceive that as a phrase which means we are
better than others. A phrase which allows us to lord our status over
others – a we are better than you philosophy. That is not what God
means though. They were to live their lives as a blessing to the
nations around them so that other nations would know of God. God's
plan was that all of the nations would be reconciled through the
nation of Israel. As I said, not to lord it over others which is a
different mind-set than what we are used to. The kindness and mercy
that God had given to Israel would flow from them to the other
nations. The mentality behind the law was “you've seen what God has
done for you, do so to those around you”. Israel then follows other
gods and we see the ramifications from that which lead to the
captivity. But before all that, God sends prophets to the people
imploring them to repent and turn back to God. They are given years
and multiple chances which shows God's great patience and mercy to
His people. But, God is still holy and will deal with sin as he shows
with the exile. The overarching narrative from the Old Testament is
God reconciling humanity to Himself. This was fulfilled in the person
of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament shows us the framework that leads
to Jesus, which is foundational to our faith.
Even
though the Old Testament does not speak directly to us as a people,
there are many implicit lessons and answers given to us. They answer
the question of who created us – God. The cost of sin and
separation from God is related to us in the Adam and Eve story. The
Ten Commandments give us a foundation to our faith. The story of
Abraham and Sarah show us the power of God's promises as well as
hope. Hope, because Abraham's promise doesn't happen immediately –
but we can point at it showing that God fulfills his promises in his
time. The story of Jonah gives us a story of repentance and shows God
withholding his wrath, extending mercy, and his love to the people.
The Psalms show us many aspects God's character – His protection,
mercy, love, and righteousness abound. It even explains why the world
has different languages from the Tower of Babel story. It's not the
most religious story, but shows how the Old Testament can answer
questions which are relevant in today's age. These are just a few
examples from the narrative which speak into our modern lives.
The
Old Testament shows us parallels that are applicable into our lives
today. We may look down on Israel for chasing idols made of stone.
But, we today chase our own “idols” even if they aren't sculpted
from stone or metal. God is seen throughout rescuing his people in
the Old Testament – he does the same today. As I said earlier, God
is reconciling humanity to himself. That plan continues today and is
just as strong today as it was when it was written back then.
In
summary, the Old Testament serves as a foundation in the faith of
today's modern Christian. To ignore it or trivialize it would cause
us to miss out on the back story to our faith. The overall narrative
gives us a more well-rounded understanding of who God is, why he has
done what he has done, and what he continues to do today. God's plan
has not changed.
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